“Hi! I’m Yoeli!” “And I’m Yossi! We’re so excited to take you with us on our journey!”
“So, Yoeli, what’s really amazing is, Chanukah is the only Yomtov that actually happened in Eretz Yisrael!”
“Really Yossi?”
“Of course! Sukkos, Pesach, and Shavuos all happened in the Midbar, and Purim happened in Shushan. The nes of the war, and of course the nes of the oil in the Beis Hamkdash happened in Eretz Yisrael. What a perfect time to start our journey!”
“Amazing Yos. You know Yossi, Chanukah is connected to Eretz Yisrael in so many ways. On Chanukah though, the light of Eretz Yisrael actually spreads throughout the whole world!”
“Really? How so?”
“It’s in our Menorah! The Ramban says that when Aharon saw the Nesi’im bring their Korbanos, he was really sad that he didn’t bring any. Hashem said, “Don’t worry, your portion will be greater than theirs, because you will light the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash, and it will last forever! The Ramban says that while we don’t have a Beis Hamikdash now, our Menorah is a continuation of Aharon’s light! (Bamidbar 9:1)
“So a Menorah in New York or Baltimore or London includes the light of the Beis Hamikdash?
“Absolutely! So no matter where you are, take a deep breath of that Beis Hamikdash air… and imagine what it will be like when we are finally all home!”
“Wow! Well that’s all for now! See you all next week iy’H! Happy Chanukah!”
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 17 Special Chanukah Editions.